Convertible chair



Oct. 2, 1934. H. w. REVELL 1,975,664

CONVERTIBLE CHAIR Filed June 6, 1932 3 Sheets-Shea?I l Get. 2, 1934. H. w- REVELL CONVERTIBLE CHAIR Filed June 6, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 2, 1934. H. w. REVEL;T l 1,975,664

CONVERTIBLE CHAIR Filed June 6, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Oct. 2, 1934 PATENT OFFICE UNITED STATES This invention relates particularly' to convertible chairs adapted to be unfolded. and transformed into a bed. f f The primary objectl ofv the invention is' to provide a comfortable, ineiipensive armchair of pleasinfy appearancewhich can easily be con'- verted into a soft and resilient bed wherein the arm-rests' and other unneeded chair parts' are turned down' to a;- position where they" will not interfere with-the' `use of the bed'. Y

A. further object of the invention is to provide a continuous spring structure whose full length isresiliently supported, free from cross-bars when used as a bed, and when foldedup to form a chair provides a double thickness. at the seat portion of the chair with the top layer of the spring structuresuppo-rted at its four marginal edges'. A further! object'of'the invention to pro' vide a storage'.comp'artmentwhichis easily ac'- cessiblel andmay be used to house a cushion',bed din-'gi materialland the like, while the `device is serving as an easy chairi f r f' The invention is illustratedv in a preferred embodiment in' the accompanying drawingsf in whichf Y Fig. 1 isa side elevational'view of ai chair em'- bodying the invention; Fig: 2, a plan viewof the same with the cushions removed, the spring structure or wire webbing shown brokenly; Fig,` 3', a side elevational view of' the device, 'Openedto forni a bed, and a portionof the cover-slip broken 'away to show its pocket; Fig. 4,. a planv View of Vthe same, the webbing shownzbrokenly; Fig- 5', a. vertical sectional view,f taken as indicated -at line' 5 of Fig.A 2', the dotted ,lines indicating how the chair may be tilted back to give access to 'a compartment beneath' the chair-seat; Fig. 6", a vertical sectional view, taken as indicated at line 6 of Fig. 3;, Fig. '7, a fragmentary enlarged sectional view of the upper'front portion of the' seat -frame when the chair is opened to form a bed; Fig. 8, a sectional View si-milar to Fig. 7, showing the' same structure when serving as a cha-ir; Fig. 9, a sectionalview of one of the front legs when serving as a latch for the back-rest, taken as indicated at line 9-9 of Fig. 5; and Fig. l0, a sectional view, taken as indicated at line 10 of Fig. 5. In the embodiment illustrated, A designates a supporting frame in which a storage chamber A is housed; B, an intermediate bed-section to which the' front end-section B isf hinged so that 1 the two' together form a folding seat-framejB a back-section which ispivotallymounted on the section B; C`, a spring structure or wire webbing Iwhich is .resiliently supported by the' `frames of sections B, B" and B2; and D, a seat cushion to which is flexibly hinged a back cushion D', and both of which are adapted to be enclosed by a slip cover attached to a companion cushion D2.

The supporting frame A comprises upper and 60` lower perimetral frames 10 and 11 which are sup ported at their corner portions'by standards 12 which',` preferably, are made of angle iron. 'Ihe supporting frame A, may be mounted on casters 13, if desired, and suitable reenforcing bars or sway-bars 14 may be employed to give the structure greater rigidity. The storage compartment A is an open top, box-like structure formed by providing panels 15 between the structural members of the supporting frame A.

. The-intermediate bed-section frame B is providedwith an underlying perimetral frame 16, which` is pivotally connected at 1-'7 to the upper rear portion Yof the supporting frame. Side members.y 18, to which the spring structure C isat-` 'I5 ta'ched, may be made of suitable angle iron and are? supported at therear by angular members 19', which extendy down tothe pivot 17.r The side members 18 are rigidly connected tothe front portion of the perimetral frame 16 by means of 80 angle members 20a. Corner posts 20 are also rigidly connected to the angle members 2()a and are positioned to overlap the standards 12 of the supporting frame. YSuitable corner braces 21 connect members 20a to frame 16` and brace the side 85 members 18 against being drawn together by the springs of the structure C. Side panels 22 serve as-continuations of the side wallsof the chamber A.l A door 23y is hinged at 232L to the frame 10 and serves` as a continuation of the front wall of the chamber AC The door is provided with a springy latch 24 which isadaptedl to engage a frame member of the front end-section B.

. The trameV of-the front end-section B comprisesV a U-shaped member 26, which is attached to the intermediate section B,by means of hinges 27, so that it may be' superposed thereover by a swinging movement. If desired, rubber bumpersl 26a may be provided between the sections'. The rectangular form ofA the upper sec'- 100 tion frame B is completed by means of a U- shaped member 28, which is pivotally connected 'tothe' end portions ofthe member 26, nea-r the hinges, by means of pivots 29'.l The member also serves as a cross brace for theY section B.

VSuitablearm-rests 30 are rigidly connected to the member 26 by means of an ornamental front standard. 131` and a rear standard 32. The armrest'30E can be provided with any desired padding or upholstery, as indicated at 30H.l The frame 26 110 is provided with front legs 33, which serve to support the front end of the bed-section B when in extended position and also serve to latch the back section B2 in upright position when the device is used as a chair. The legs are provided with a slot 332, which is engaged by a capped pin 34, which is rigidly attached to the standard 32. As indicated in Figs. 5, 6 and 9, the standards 32 are provided with a keeper 322 adapted to slidably receive the end portion of legs 33 when supporting the section E' in extended position. A small leaf spring 35 is provided within the keeper' so as to frictionally engage the leg and hold it in position while the structure isbeing inverted. The lower end portion of the leg is turned at right angles as indicated at 33h, and is provided with a slot 33C adapted to engage a stud, hereinafter described.

The back section E2 comprises a A AU-shaped member 3, which is carried on the intermediate section by means of pivots 37. A pair of rear legs 38 are connected` to the frame .36 by means of pivots '39, and springs 40 tend to pull the legs, at right angles to the frame, against a stop member (not shown) on the frame. The lower portions of the legs 38 are Yprovided with a capped stud 38au which is adapted to extend through an aperture 36a in the frame 36, when the leg is in folded position. If desired, angular guide members 36b may be fastened to the inner side of the frame 36, to guide the legs into locking position, as shown in Figs. 5 and 9. As will be readily understood, this stud may be engaged by slot 33c in the leg 33 and will serve to hold the leg in a folded position andthe back frame B2 in an upwardly inclined position. A U-shaped tubular pillow rest 4l is connected to the frame 36 by means of pivots 42. A hook-shaped latch 43, is pivoted to the frame at 43a and may be used to hold the member 411 in inclined position. The frame member 36 is further provided with a stop 36C, which limits the lower swing of the member 4l, and against which the member rests when the device is folded up'as a chair. v

The spring structure C may be of-any suitable construction which may be folded upon itself. In the construction shown, a continuous `wire webbing is secured to the side members of the sections B, B and B2, by means of tension Springs 44. The end portions of the webbing are connected to the ltrames 25 and 35 by means of links 45. Preferably, loop members 46 are employed in that portion of the webbing where the old occurs on the seat frame when the upper frame is superposed on the lower frame. The forward ends of these loops are connected to the movable member 28 of the front frame 26by means of a series of tension springs 47. Accordingly, when the device is folded up to form a chair, that portion or the webbing which lies within the front frame is supported at one end by links 45, at its side-portions by springs 44, and at its then front end-portion by springs 47.

It will be noted that when the front frame B is swung into extended position, the U-shaped member 23 swings down out of the plane of the spring structure C and the wire webbing in B' is tautly connected to the wire webbing in VB by'means of the loops 46. Thus, it will be understood that there will be no rigid cross-bars in the plane of the spring structure when the device is extended to form a bed.

When the device is `in the form of a chair, as shown in Fig. l, the seat frame B is held in horizontal position b-y the latch member 24 engaging the member 28, as shown in Fig. 8. When it is desired to open the chamber A', the latch 24 is pressed inwardly and the chair is tilted back on the pivot 1'7, as illustrated by the dotted lines in Fig. 5. The backward tilt of the chair is limited by means of an arcuate rod 48 which is attached to the section B and extends through an aperture 102 in frame 10. The lower portion of the rod 48 is provided with a suitable stop 482.

A suitable seat cushion D may comprise a mattress-like structure provided with inner coil springs, not shown, and covered with a suitable finish fabric. The seat cushion is shaped to lie within the rectangular seat frame B. It will be noted that by means of the present invention the frontedge of the seat cushion is supported by member 28. The back cushion D may be of similar construction and shaped to fit the back section B2. Preferably, the cushions D and D are hinged together flexibly, as indicated at 49. A companion cushion D2, of similar construction, is of the same width as the cushion D and is long enough to cover the remaining area of the spring f structure when the device is extended to form a bed. The cushion D2; preferably, is provided with an open-sided mattress cover 50, which is equipped at its far end with'a pocket 51 adapted to slip over the end of the cushion D. The cover has suflicient length to receive snugly and cover the top and side portions of the cushions D and D. It will be understood that when the device is converted from a bed to a chair, the cover 50 may be removed from the seat and back cushions and inserted and stored, with Vthe cushion D2, in the chamber A' of the supporting frame.

' The convertible chair is particularly adapted for use in hotel rooms, summer resorts, or any place where space is at a premium, and it becomes desirable to have a comfortable chair which may be converted quickly into' a bed. By providing a storage chamber in the base, it is unnecessary to provide other space for storing mattressearbedding and the like. Y

Itwm be noted also that the chair may bev moved through a comparatively narrow space by turning up the member 28, releasing the legs 33 and tilting forwardly the back portion of the chair. By a slight modification of theA legs 33, the back portion of the chair B2 may be made adjustable to suit the comfort of the user.

The foregoing detailed' description has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, but the appended claims should be construed as broadly as permissible, in view of the prior art.

What I regard as new Letters Patent is:

1. A convertible structure comprising: a supporting-frame; a two-section seat-frame surmounting said supporting-frame and comprising an intermediate bed-section pivotally connected with the rear portion of said supporting-frame and an end bed-section pivotally connected with and desire to secure by the front portionof said intermediate section;

a supplemental short cushion-supporting section `pivotally connected with said end-section near is equipped with arm-rests and the releasable connections include members connecting said arm-rests with said back-frame.

3. In a structure of the character set forth: a back-section, a plural-section folding seatfrarne pivotaliy connected to said back-section and comprising a main bed-section and a superposed bed-section pivotally connected to the main bed-section so as to swing forwardly to an inverted position in the plane of said main bedsection, means movably mounting one edge of said superposed bed-section to cooperate with said section to form a cushion-supporting meinber, and means for moving said member out of the piane of the bed-sections When the superposed bed-section is moved to extended position.

fi. In a structure of the character set forth: a plural-section folding seat-frame comprising a main bed-section and a superposed bed-section pivotally mounted thereon so as to swing forwardly into inverted position in the plane of said main bed-section, means movably mounting one edge of said superposed bed-section so that it may be inoved out of the plane of its bedsection when the latter is moved to extended position; and a continuous spring structure connected to said bed-Sections and having a fold portion iiexibly connected to said movable membei'.

5. In combination: a back-frame pivotally connected to an intermediate frame, a front endframe pvotally connected to said intermediate frame, and a disappearing U-shaped cross-bar pivotally connected to said end-frame so as to swing into the plane of the same to form with the end-frame a cushion rest When said frame is swung onto the intermediate frame and a continuous foldable wire fabricsupported by said frames so as to bend at the junctions between frames, said wire fabric being adapted to fold double at the front junction and the fold portion having yielding connections with said disappearing cross-bar.

6. A structure of the character set forth comprising a supporting frame provided with a housing having a front forwardly-swinging drop door provided with a latch; a two-section seat-frame surmounting said supporting frame and comprising a main bed-section pivotally connected With the rear portion of said supporting-frame and an end bed-section pivotally connected with the front portion of the main section; and a supplemental short cushion-supporting section pivotally connected with said end-section near its point of connection with said main section, said supplemental section being releasably engaged and held in position by the latch on said door.

HARTLEY W. REVELL. 

